New FCA “Dear ICO” Letter warns of financial crime associated with cryptocurrencies
By Judith E. Rinearson and Rizwan Qayyum
On June 11 2018, the Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) issued a “Dear CEO” letter, which provided guidance for banks on how to handle the growing risks associated with “cryptoassets”.
The FCA defines “cryptoassets,” using Bitcoin and Ether as an example, as “any publicly available electronic medium of exchange that features a distributed ledger and a decentralised system for exchanging value.” While acknowledging that there are “many non-criminal motives” for using cryptoassets, the letter asserts that these products can be abused because they offer “potential anonymity and the ability to move money between countries.”